Many discussions occurred throughout the years ~ with Sarah, her father, her cousins and certain friends who were fans as well ~ about a myriad of characters and scenes, with references to countless passages and quotes, that sometimes resulted in heated banter about the credibility of the books vs the movies.
Erin did love the movies too, viewing each of them many times, alone and in the company of other enthusiasts, all of whom had them critiqued to "thumbs up/thumbs down" summaries that even Siskel and Ebert would have appreciated.
The films eventually became a frequent part of the background hum of the hospital room or the house during times when Erin wasn't feeling well. As in the case of the books, she was able to get lost in the movie-land of Hogwarts as it offered her escape into a world of fantasy ~ an immersion into a place far away from her own pain and fear. Parallels can certainly be drawn between the evils of Lord Voldemort and those of Erin's personal nemesis. I know that in the end Harry is the victor, and it's my belief that Erin, too, retained the upper hand. Evil never took her soul.
Part One of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premieres tomorrow, and I can't stop thinking about how excited she'd be to see it; I'm certain with tickets to tonight's midnight viewing at the theater near whatever college she'd now be attending.
I'm neither well-versed in the details of the stories nor terribly familiar with the traits specific to each character, but while looking through some quotes I happened upon this one that seems appropriate ~
It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew ~ and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents ~ that there was all the difference in the world.oh yeah, a HUGE difference...
~J.K. Rowling, "Horcruxes," Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005
"walking into the arena with your head held high"...oh yes she did!
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I presonally love Ron, he great comedic relief, and I love all the scenes with him and spiders(he was dealthy afraid and would scream like a girl when he saw them).
ReplyDeleteWhere your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
--The Dealthy Hallows
I really like this quote! This is going to be a great movie, and I agree that Erin would definitely be at the midnight premiere! She would be soo excited...
Love,
Maggie
Mom! Just read the books!!! I am reading #7 for the third time right now. Great post! It's true you do escape into JK Rowlings world and for some reason it is comforting to me. The night Erin passed I couldn't sleep so I went downstairs and layed on the couch and watched the Chamber of Secrets....This movie also has a great memory for me. Erin and i saw it in the theatre and it was so packed she had to sit 3 rows behind me, I remember being so worried about her and if she would be ok sitting by herself. I should have known....She really is Tenacious E! After the movie we talked about it the whole way home and after going to see if for a second time decided to start reading the books and I'm so glad she did and was able to have her escape. Plus another way to bond with her older sister :)
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite quotes from Prisoner
"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore
Sarah
I remember waiting in line with Erin waiting for the seventh book, swapping ideas with Flom about what was gonna happen. We raced home to read the books and later that night you guys came over to dinner. Harry Potter was one of the things that we bonded over in high school. Weather it was wand battles in chemistry, or discussing the movies and books at home or in gym class, we always had something else to say about it. We both loved the 3rd book and no quote i think, define me and Erins life together quite like,
ReplyDelete"I solemnly swear im up to no good", because we usually weren't.
Burf
I remember sitting next to Erin for the premiere of the last Harry Potter movie that came out. We were so pumped to see it. It feels like forever ago that the movie came out. On the way home we couldn't stop laughing about all the awkward scenes like when Harry just stares creepily at Ginny or the scenes between Ron and Hermione. I'm definitely glad I got to share that experience with Erin and I'll be thinking about her when I go see the Deathly Hallows.
ReplyDelete-Meggie
Both of our kids LOVE/D Harry Potter. David re-reads all of the books every year. Katie was passionate about the movies. They were often on during her hospital stays, too.
ReplyDeleteShe was in hospice care when the last book came out; David read the entire thing within 24 hours of receiving it. Katie looked at its size, and said to David, "I'm not going to make it through that. Just tell me how it ends." So he did. He's very excited about this new movie.
Love the quote you posted at the end here. I think HP has a lot of resonance with people who have cancer.
Harry Potter and Erin Potts are two of my favorite heros. xo
ReplyDeleteErin was always telling me I didn't give the movies enough of a chance. I, of the "but the movies don't follow the books closely enough" persuasion was eventually worn down by the time the 6th movie came out by her excessive sending me trailers, making me watch interviews from the cast whenever I was over at the house. She was right, it was a good movie (as a separate entity from the books, of course). They've now split Deathly Hallows into 2 movies, something that Erin would have LOVED and something I've totally on board with, because now they HAVE to put everything from the books in!!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure someone found this quote before me, but nonetheless:
"It is important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated." -Albus Dumbledore
Amy
Erin certainly did "...face a battle to the death...with her head held high" just as beautifully as Christ embraced the cross.
ReplyDeleteI never jumped on the Harry Potter bandwagon, but I was forced to go see the movie tonight with my team. Wow, it was long!! I did cry, even though I did not know what was going on during most of it!!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Kristin
I loved loved loved the movie!!! It was really beautiful since they shot it all over the countryside. It was also my first time going to the midnight release, and it was a fun experience!
ReplyDelete"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?"
ReplyDelete-Dumbledore
Erin and I used to bond over Harry Potter all the time! I've been hooked on the books forever and was so excited when she decided to start reading. Unlike Erin, I did not and do not like the movies, I am proud to say that I have refused to see one since the second one. However, I have to admit that I have listened to the 4th movie...Once when Erin, Margy, and I were together, they really wanted to watch it and somehow didn't seem to care what I thought! So I sat behind a pillow for the whole thing. After we finished a tickling war in an attempt to force me watch of course.
I like this quote too...Replace Cedric with Erin and Voldemort with her nemesis:
"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."
I have several entries of conversations with Erin saved in my old cell phone.
ReplyDeleteDate- July 14, 2009 I was out to dinner with friends and received this text:
OMG OMG OMG OMG!! IM SEEING HARRY POTTER!!! KELSEY HAS AN EXTRA TICKET AND ASKED IF I WANNA GO!!!
That was one of her happiest moments last summer - both receiving that invitation and then attending the midnight show. Thank you for that night girls...
These comments from each of you are special and wonderful because they tell me about a part of Erin's life that I didn't share with her. Very often, it's the comments in response to my blog entry that make the "story" complete. This is definitely the case here. Please, I invite you all to continue to add more chapters for me. I may have to hunker down during this long winter with the books...
I have never read a Harry Potter book. Not because I have anything against it...I just never picked one up. I like Albus Dumbledore already. He sounds like a smart man...or wizard?What makes Harry Potter so awesome is that he brought so much joy to Erin and her family and friends. Thank you J.K. Rowlings. I think I'll pick up the very first one and see if I get hooked.
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I agree with Wincie...I may have to check out these books...brought joy to everyone! Sounds like a job for Christmas break..xxoo
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